COMM 3030: Communicating Images: Rhetoric, Design & Culture
In an effort to diversify my class schedule in the fall, I decided to take a seminar. My classes are typically all science, medicine, or psychology-based, so I wanted to pick a course out that would really stand out among the rest. One that caught my eye in particular was Communicating Images: Rhetoric, Design & Culture. The course was "an extensive look at how visual imagery shapes contemporary persuasion and communication in relation to consumer culture." While I do have experience and interest in creative subjects such as writing, the concept of looking at the construction and details of advertisements and images in general was very new to me. The course helped me gain a great understanding of how the media and companies contribute greatly to persuading the general public, and how they represent current cultural feelings. It was incredibly interesting to see the way that, for an example of a topic covered, women are portrayed in the 21st century. When you delve deeper into the way images and advertisements are set up, what can seem like an innocent picture is actually skillfully composed into an advertisement with large implications and meaning behind it, whether good or bad. One of the topics we discussed in the class was the impact of the portrayal and sexualization of women on women today in the U.S. As a passionate feminist, I decided to use this intrigue to produce my final assignment - a paper in which we would critique a company on its advertisements and practices - on Cosmopolitan Magazine and its effect on women. Below is my final paper.